Rock of Ages Reviews

Mark Radice is one of the most amazing songwriters of our time ! Simple as that. Not only because of the wide variety of styles he displays, but also in sheer volume. His back catalog is probably larger than anybody else's in the business. Partly it's individual songs and partly is complete albums that for one reason or another never saw the light of day. One of those albums is 'Stay Tuned', recorded over an 8-month period in Orlando, Florida IN 1994. As Mark puts it..."it took me 13 years to remaster it".

It certainly was well worth the wait. Mark is a multi-instrumentalist - nothing to sneeze at in itself - but his forte is his songwriting. It's as varied as the instruments that he plays and I couldn't put it better than Mark himself who describes the songs as being something like "Beatley Joel. Elton Hornsby. Steely Doors. Vaudeville Marx. Marshall Stax. Jackson Fogelberg. And a hard boiled egg". Actually he's still selling himself short here. Me, I'd definitely add a solid dash or Kinks Newman and none of that even begins to cover "It's a long way home" !

CTA, in this case California Transit Authority, is centered around ex-Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine. And although he brings along the bulk of the material from his early Chicago days, this band is certainly no Chicago-wannabe. There's no horns, for starters. Keyboard player Peter Fish handles all that on synthesizer.

But the real revelation here is guitarist Marc Bonilla. It looks to me like he's the driving force behind this whole project. He co-produced the album (with Seraphine) and is reponsible for the new arrangements on many of the songs, including turning Make me Smile into an instrumental.But most of all he impresses as a guitar player. Bonilla has had his first solo album out in 1991 and is possibly best known for his work with Glenn Hughes and Keith Emerson (who also guests on this cd). But whether he's just floating along in the background or pulling out all the stops in a solo, it's always most impressive. This is the album that's gonna put him on the map among the greatest. And deservedly so !

Although recreations / updates of nine Chicago songs foerm the bulk of this cd, the remaining tracks show without a shadow of a doubt that this band has more to build on for the future. Covers of Chuck Mangione's Something Different. or Gregg Allman's Dreams take on a life of their own and Antonio's Love Jungle proves that Bonilla can write a mean tune himself.

Country Joe & the Fish is arguably the most underrated band from the Frisco scene. A different story altogether, but something I wanted to sneak in nonetheless. Then Country Joe went solo, making his mark at Woodstock, immortalising both the F-U-C-K cheer and I feel like I'm fixin to die. They both are still an integral part of his live act, well over 30 years into his solo career. As on Woodstock, just the man and his guitar now digging into his deep and rich back catalogue, pulling out several Fish-era nuggets such as Rock coast blues, Return of sweet Lorraine, For no reason and Section 43. With songs like Jean Desprez and Who am I he bookends his solo albums and cherrypicks from several inbetween. Into the Fray seems to be a particular favorite here with no less than 3 songs represented in this live set.

Although it may not have been obvious in the first part of the evening, it soon becomes obvious that Country Joe saved up his vinegar for the second part of the show. Support the Troops namechecks Tony Blair and with phrases like 'blood for oil' it leaves no doubt that the I-feel-like-I'm-fixin'-to-die Rag is still as relevant as it was 40 years ago. Country Joe is still very much on the ball so check him out when he brings his show to your neck of the woods. In the meantime this magnificently recorded 2-cd set will wet your apetite !

It's almost as if The World is your Lobster is a fresh start for Martin Gordon. Where his previous three albums were masterpieces of pure powerpop, he is taking quite a different direction with this 4th one. Gone are the power guitars. Instead everything blends together more and if anything it's the vocals that are mixed up front. But also the songs are different. There's no less than two Gilbert & Sullivan covers and they basically set the tone for the entire album. Those kind of tracks were the interludes on previous cd's, now they are the meat and potatos and I have to say it's quite a pleasant surprise ! We're used to Martin's intelligent wit in the lyrics, but more than ever they have now also found their way into the music. There's Bonzo Dog Band (Mirror mirror) and 10cc (What would Jesus drive?) influences and musical quotes all over the place. I'm the Walrus, Pop muzik and others... look for them ! This is really a fun album with lots of things going on in the background. For those familiar with Martin's 'mammal' cd's this is one that may take some getting used to, but this cd is just begging for repeated listening. And that's always a good thing.

You gotta have chotspa to tackle what is often considered the all-time greatest album in rock. I mean, it's one thing to cover a Beatles song, but to take on the entire Sgt Pepper album ?! No problem for Les Fradkin. He has the credentials and the chops to pull it off, which is exactly what he does on Pepper Front to Back, and then some !

The man who portrayed George Harrison in the original Broadway cast of Beatlemania! and who already has two George Harrison tribute cd's under his belt confirms himself here as one of the great guitar players of our time. Actually he had already done so on previous albums, but this time he's taking things even further. With the entire album performed on guitar synthesizer, a first for a Beatles cover album, Les brings Pepper right into the 21st century.

What makes this album so amazing is that you can easily compare it with the original Beatles album and Les Fradkin still comes out smelling like a rose ! From the powerful opening of the first track to his own "inner groove" sounds, Les always puts his personal stamp on each track ! While still staying fairly loyal to the original song, each song is approached with a fresh new look. It makes each and every song a pleasure to listen to for very different reasons : the "horns" on Lovely Rita, the lead and harmony guitars on She's leaving home, the Joe Cocker touch on With a little help, the "animals" on Good Morning, the "horns and strings" on All you need is love... the album is filled with all kinds of gimmicks that'll make you want to listen to it over & over again !

Here, in July 2006, I have actual proof that "they do make them like they used to." Spyderbaby's new CD, Glassblower, is the apparent first release on Dream Tunes Records (DTCD 001), but not for the veterans involved with this group. Long-time master producer Mark Wirtz still has his chops, and they're working just fine. In fact I probably like these productions more than anything I've heard yet from his earlier oeuvre - and he has some excellent work on his résumé. The vocals are completely on the money, and the instrumental work - from group members Rob and Adam Stride and Micky Groome plus some musical guests - is also in the groove. The first half in particular is outstanding, but every track has at least something to recommend it. "Only A Summer Away" and "Stonelea Road" seem to form two parts of a suite; "Learning 2 Live With Love" has a wonderful long progressive-era fade; and "Cherry Orchard Way," with its hints of the Beatles, The Move, The Small Faces, ELO and a host of other melodic yet energized '60s bands, is probably my favorite track so far - at least today. In the past I've thought of Spyderbaby as a Beach Boys-related group - and indeed, "Just a Breath Away," "Only A Summer Away" and the last track, the appropriately-titled "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending," do show that influence. However, the overall feeling of the album is much more British-in-the-'60s-and-'70s, yet it feels like a solid and contemporary piece of work on its own, not a pastiche or tribute.

A reviewer's note: Most of my listening so far has been in the car. It's atechnique I learned from the legendary Bertha Porter, Music Director of WDRCin Hartford in the '60s (back when half the radios in town - literally! -were tuned in during afternoon drive time). She told me that was the secret of her success, since most people first hear a new song in their cars. If it sounds good there, it could become a hit; however, if it flunked the cartest, there was no hope. It is a tribute to Spyderbaby that they sound good in the car !

Mark Wirtz has said (and I paraphrase) that one reason he made this album (with original track producer Rob Stride and a team of Britain and America's best) was to show the record industry that "quality commercial music" is not an oxymoron, and that it can be recorded and produced by people older than 21. I think Mark and the gang have proven their points well. Now it's time for the public to get excited and buy a bunch of copies. More details are at www.markwirtz.com. (And no, I'm not on Mark's payroll; I just get excited by good stuff.)

In this new Jangle Pop 2006 release, the "Jangleholic" and his trusty Rickenbacker 12-String are at it again! Les takes more than just a common tribute approach and reveals a unique perspective in the diverse influences that form the basis of a new sound for Bob Dylan's music. Byrds, Beatles, George Harrison, Phil Spector, Manfred Mann, Tom Petty and Dylan all blend together for a distinct journey through the Bob Dylan catalog. "This Wheels On Fire", "The Times They Are-A-Changin" will impress both Dylan and Byrds fans and Les' reading of "One Of Must Know" is a must hear as it takes Dylan into new sonic territory. Tom Petty fans will delight to his approach on "Absolutely Sweet Marie" and his fresh take on "Just Like A Woman" will suprise even those overly familiar with this Dylan hit.

No matter what you do as a producer, the results always get associated with the performing artist. In the case of Tony Visconti, a bit of a bummer. Many of the things he did never quite got public recognition because the artists never really made it. In other cases the artists themselves were so immensely popular that it overshadowed the names of everybody else who worked on the record. These are both reasons why at first I had a bit of trouble outlining Visconti's career. Good thing Tony Visconti himself comes to the rescue with his autobiography !

Obviously Marc Bolan and especially David Bowie are the main ingredients of the book. In spite of the fragmentary relationship, the info on Bowie is interesting, in particular the details on the recordings of the Berlin trilogy albums. Bolan fans will be less happy as apparently Visconti didn't quite get along as well with Marc Bolan and repeatedly expresses his discontent with the boppin elf. Still it would have been nice to get some more studio details. Same goes for just about all of the other artists he worked with. Only the bit on Thin Lizzy is slightly expanded, but mainly because of the personal problems with the band, not because he elaborates on what goes on in the studio. Most other acts get dealt with in just a few lines and that's a shame. I really would have loved to hear about any studio gimmickry that went on for some of the other bands, such as Badfinger or Gentle Giant. I think it would have made far more interesting reading than the endless reports of moving house/apartment and all the things Mary Hopkin did *not* do. And is Alexander Technique and Tai Chi worth anything more than a mere mention ?! If nothing else, it would have freed up some space to discuss Tony's own solo album, which now remains strangely absent...

Still, overall the book gives a pretty good idea of what it means to be a record producer. The whirlwind that takes the reader through the London 60's and 70's, as promised in the press blurb, is not quite there, but a pleasant read nonetheless. Great photos too ! And since I've been promised the mistakes in my (uncorrected) proof copy will be taken care of, this is the book that'll make you wanna revisit some of those classic albums Tony Visconti has been involved with !